Continuous filament crepe yarn and fabric product



J. S. SEN-EY ETAL CONTINUOUS FILAMENT CREPE YARN AND FABRIC PRODUCTOriginal Filed Nov. 27, 1956 Sept. 4, 1962 INVENTORS JOHN S. SENEYRUDOLPH WOODELL 7W 7% 8;

ATTORNEY INCHES 0F YARN nited States Patent fitice 3,052,268 PatentedSept. 4, 1962 This invention relates to novel and useful filaments,yarns and fabrics. More particularly, it relates to a filament whichvaries in denier along the filament length and to a yarn and fabric madefrom such filaments.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a filament whichvaries in denier along the filament length.

A further object is to provide a yarn made from such filaments. A stillfurther object is to provide a crepelike fabric made from such filamentsand yarns. Other objects will become apparent from the descriptions, thedrawings, and the claims.

In accordance with the present invention, a filament of from 1 to 15denier and varying in denier along the filament length is provided; thedenier variataions of the said filament having a contrast of at least1.5 and occurring at least 3 times per inch along the filament length.By denier variation is meant that the cross-section of the filamentvaries regularly between thick and thin along the filament length. Inmeasuring the number of such variations along the filament length, thedistance from the thickest portion of the filament to the next thickestportion of the filament or, conversely, from the thinnest portion to thenext thinnest portion, is the length of one denier variataion. Inaccordance with this invention, at least 3 such denier variataions occuralong each inch of the filament length. By the term contrast is meantthe ratio of the average denier of the thickest portion of the filamentto the average denier of the thinnest portion of the filament. Thus,when the thick portion of the filament has an average denier of 3 andthe thinnest portion has an average denier of 1.5, the contrast is 2.These filaments, when formed into a multi-filament yarn with aligneddenier variations among the parallel filaments, are of a low twistcrepe-like variety.

The yarn described above is produced by the use of the apparatusdescribed in U.S. application Serial No. 624,602, filed November 27,1956 now U.S. Patent 2,820,986.

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatical sketch of the spinning set-up for thevariable denier yarns of this invention;

FiGURE 2 is an illustration of a variable denier, continuous,multi-filarnent yarn;

FIGURE 3 is a capacitometer chart showing the denier variation of one ofthe continuous, multi-filament yarns of this invention.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an open plain weave fabric woven of the variabledenier yarn described above.

FIGURE 1 represents a diagrammatical sketch of a typical spinning set-upfor producing the variable denier yarns of the present invention. Thespinning solution is supplied by a conventional pump 122 to theapparatus 123 described in U. S. Patent No. 2,820,986. The apparatus 123is flushed and cooled (or sometimes heated) by means of a fluid which issupplied to it through exit and entrance pipe 120. The power needed torun the apparatus 123 is supplied by the electrical lead 121. Thespinning solution leaves the apparatus 123 at the spinneret face andenters the coagultaing bath 124 which coagulates the spinning solutionto form continuous filaments. The filaments are uniformly converged atthe convergence point 126 and are then taken by means of a rollerarrangement to a conventional wind-up system 125.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatical sketch of one of the variable denier,continuous, multi-filament yarns of the present invention. As is shownby the sketch, the yarns are composed of a number of filaments withdenier variations which are in substantial alignment.

FIGURE 3 is a capacitometer chart showing the denier variations of oneof the variable denier, continuous, multifilament yarns of thisinvention. As shown by the chart for a yarn containing 8 deniervariations per inch, all of the thick portions of the yarns havesubstantially the same denier and, in addition, the narrow portions ofthe yarn are all of substantially the same denier givin a deniervariataion which is substantially the same along the whole filamentlength.

The invention will now be described with respect to regeneratedcellulose filaments and yarns. The invention, however, is not restrictedthereto but is meant to include variable denier yarns produced fromother filament-forming materials such as cellulose nitrate, celluloseacetate, vinyl polymers, acrylics, glass, polyamides, proteins,polyesters, etc.

The apparatus described in U.S. Patent No. 2,820,986 and shown in FIGURE6 of said patent is employed using an upstream pressure of 67 pounds persquare inch in the conduit and a piston speed of 240 cycles per second;cc. of water per minute is run through the apparatus in order to cooland flush it. A viscose solution containing 7% recoverable cellulose and6% total alkali, calculated sodium hydroxide, is filtered, deaerated,and ripened to a salt index of 4.2 and a viscosity of 39 stokes. Theviscose is then extruded through the spinneret (holes 0.003 inch indiameter), into a coagulating and regenerating bath containing byweight, 11% sulfuric acid, 19.5% sodium sulfate, 0.7% Zinc sulfate, and2.0% glucose. The bath is maintained at a temperature of 55 C. Afterextrusion the filament is passed over a Y guide which is placed 5 inchesfrom, and directly in front of, the spinneret face. The yarn is thenpassed for a distance of 40 inches through the bath and up to and arounda feed wheel and finally into a rotating bucket. The rotating bucketimparts to the yarn a twist of from about 2 to 4 turns per inch(depending on the spinning speed) and winds the resulting twisted yarninto a cake. A spinning tension of about 0.11 gram per denier is used inthis procedure. The spinning arrangement is shown in FIGURE 1. The cakeis washed, desulfured, finished, dried and wound into cones in theconventtional manner. Table I below gives the characteristics of theyarn produced by this procedure.

Table II below gives the physical properties of the variable denieryarns produced above.

TABLE II Num Breaking Strength Elongation, ber of (g.) Percent TwistsEx. Denier Filaper ments inch Dry Wet Loop Dry Wet Loop The yarnsdescribed above are woven into a plain weave cloth having 96 ends in thewarp and 72 ends in the filling. The resulting fabrics have a pleasingcrepe-like appearance.

The multi-filament yarns which are produced in accordance with thepresent invention are those composed of the hereinbefore describedfilaments wherein the denier variations are in substantial alignment. Ingeneral these yarns have a total denier of from about 50 to about 400and are composed of from about to about 400 filaments; each filamenthaving a denier of from about 1 to about 15, a contrast of at least 1.5and at least 3 denier variations per inch. In the preferred embodimentof the present invention the total denier of the yarn ranges from about100 to about 200 and is composed of filaments having a denier of from 1to about 5, a contrast of from 1.5 to about 4 and from 3 to about 9denier variations per inch.

In producing the variable denier yarns of the present invention thereare four basic requirements: 1) Extremely rapid variation in the flow offiilament-forming solution through the spinneret; (2) Rapid setting ofthe filaments as they emerge from the spinneret; (3) Unitformconvergence of the filaments so that the variations in denier are notallowed to become out of alignment from filament to filament; and (4)Constant speed drawoff.

The yarns of this invention, composed of the variable denier filaments,are useful for preparing crepe-like fabrics which are particularlyuseful in the light-weight fabric wearing apparel field. The usualmethod of manufacturing fabrics exhibiting crepe-like effects is toweave a fabric consisting wholly or in part of yarns of high twist andto subject the fabrics so obtained to treatment with hot aqueousliquids. The treatment with hot aqueous liquids causes the high twistyarns to shrink and cockle thus imparting to the fabric thecharacteristic crepe appearance. In the case of fabrics which consistonly partially of high twist yarns, the high twist yarns are evenlydistributed in the fabric, e.g., the filling may consist of high twistyarns while the warp consists of yarns of ordinary low twist. Inconsequence, crepe fabrics as ordinarily produced exhibit a crepe effectwhich is uniform over all their surface. Crepe yarns are usually twisted45 to twists per inch and twists as high as twists per inch have beenused. This high degree of twist greatly increases the cost of producingthe yarn and consequently crepe fabrics are relatively expensive. Inaddition, the highly twisted yarn in the fabric makes the fabricdimensionally unstable to wetting and drying and therefore crepe fabricsmust always be dry-cleaned. The crepe-like fabrics produced from theyarns of the present invention have the'advantage of providing a muchlower cost fabric, due to the low degree of twist, and the fabric, inaddition, has dimensional stability, e.g., it may be laundered ratherthan dry-cleaned.

The fabrics which are produced from the filaments and yarns of thepresent invention may be dyed in the conventional manner and are usefulin many different types of fabrics. They are particularly useful in thefine dress goods field for the making of blouses, skirts and dresses indirect dyed fabrics or print cloths.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skille in the art from thereading of the above without a departure from the inventive concept.

This application is a division of United States application Serial No.624,602, filed November 27, 1956 now US. Patent 2,820,986.

What is claimed is:

A crepe-like fabric woven of about 2 to 3 turns per inch twist,multi-filament yarn having a total denier from about 50 to about 400which varies along the yarn in a rapidly repeating low-high cycle, theyarn being composed of 1 to 5 denier continuous filaments which vary indenier along the filament length, each filament having a denier contrastof from 1.5 to about 4 and from 3 to about 9 denier variations per inchof filament length, the denier variations of the filaments being insubstantial alignment to provide a corresponding variation in totaldenier along the yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,370,112 Truitt Feb. 20, 1945 2,549,179 Deboutheville Apr. 17, 19512,866,256 Matlin Dec. 30, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Callaway TextileDictionary, published by Callaway Mills 1947.

